Sayma Hai’s parents hoped she’d be a doctor. Instead, she founded a bursary to support McMaster medical students. 

Hai established the bursary 10 years ago. Not because she’s a doctor herself, or because she comes from a long line of doctors. She created the fund out of deep admiration for those in the medical field — and a strong desire to live out her personal values. 

“I think it’s an incredibly noble profession,” she said. “These students go out into the world and do such a great service for patients. Whether they’re in cardiology or treating asthma, they have a huge, huge impact.” 

She also created the bursary to honour her parents and the values they instilled in her from a young age.

“My parents taught me to do things in service of others,” she said. “You want to build something that outlasts you. If you plant a tree, for example, that tree provides shade for someone. That is a credit to you in terms of a good deed that you’ve done.” 

Hai donates to the bursary fund every year during Ramadan.  

“I’m in awe of what the students are accomplishing,” she said. “We’ll never know the extent of the impact. It will have a ripple effect on their patients, their quality of life, those patients’ families and so forth. To me, that is the most gratifying part.” 

Hai’s parents encouraged her to be a doctor from a young age, but deep down she knew it wasn’t the path for her. Now an MBA graduate who leads Johnson & Johnson’s global digital learning technology, Hai achieved success by forging her own path. 

But still, she was looking for a unique way to contribute to the medical profession. In 2014, she established the Sayra & Abdul Hai Bursary for Inspiring Change Fund, named after her parents. Each year, the bursary is awarded to a student enrolled in the Michael G. Degroote School of Medicine who demonstrates financial need, maintains good academic standing, and has an interest in Cardiology or Internal Medicine. 

Thanks to Hai’s incredible generosity over the past decade, 10 medical students at McMaster have received bursaries.   

“It’s been really rewarding to be able to live my personal values and have this gift for my parents,” she said. 

While Hai didn’t attend McMaster herself, the school was an obvious frontrunner when seeking out a postsecondary institution to establish her bursary.  

“I chose McMaster and the medical school because of its reputation, bar none,” she said. Hai had also met several McMaster alumni throughout her career, including her favourite boss. To top it off, Hai completed a project for her MBA at the McMaster University Medical Centre, deepening her connection with the school. 

In addition to her annual donation, Hai has maximized the impact of her philanthropy through corporate gift matching at various companies she’s worked for.   

“All of my employers offered corporate donation matching, and in some years, I was even able to get a 1:1 match,” she said.  

If Hai could say one thing to the medical students receiving her bursary, it would be: “Thank you for the opportunity to help.” She wants them to know what an incredible contribution they’re making to society. “I hope this is just a nudge to help them continue to do bigger, better, greater things,” she said. 

While Hai wishes she could do even more, she is a firm believer in the power of small acts multiplying over time.  

“I’m at the 10-year mark of donating to the bursary. At no point in my career did I feel like I had $10,000 available to give away to someone,” she said. “But with the small contribution I was able to make each year, over time it added up.” 

Her advice to someone who is considering donating?  “Start anywhere, start small, and just keep doing it,” she said. “Before you know it, that contribution will feel like it’s so much more.”  

Supporting students through the bursary has meant so much to Hai that she’s arranged for it to become an endowment fund in her will. “Long after I’m gone, the bursary will live on forever,” she said.  

Why McMaster donors give: At McMaster University, every single gift, no matter the size, has the potential to make a difference in the lives of our students, the quality of our research and our ability to give back to our community and influence the future. We asked some of our donors and their families what motivates them to give. These are their stories.